TESTIMONY OF PRIME MINISTER GENERAL MICHEL AOUN
HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
September 18/2003

Prime Minister General Michel Aoun

Madame Chairwoman. Honorable Members,It is an honor for me to bring you the
voice of the Lebanese people; a people longing for freedom and suffering under
occupation. I have come here today to convey their gratitude for your
initiative in introducing the Syria Accountability and Lebanese
Sovereignty Restoration Act, and to urge the immediate passage of this bill into
law. This piece of prospective legislation is crucial, as it establishes for the
first time a clear United States policy regarding Syria's occupation of Lebanon.

For twenty-seven years, the Syrian Regime has played the role of both arsonist and
firefighter. Syria starts fires in order to give itself a pretext to extinguish them and
thus justify its continuing occupation of Lebanon. And any Lebanese who dares to expose or
resist Syria's hegemony is simply eliminated. Syria's occupation of Lebanon has been
detrimental and costly to both American and Lebanese interests in five major ways.

Impact of Syrian Occupation of LebanonFirst, Syria's hegemony over Lebanon has turned the country into a
fertile ground and safe haven for terrorism. In the 1970s and 1980s, Lebanon was the first
victim of Syrian terrorism. And this was one of the main reasons in 1978 to list Syria as
the first terrorist country on the US Department of State list of terrorist states. Back
then, Hizballah and Hamas did not even exist.

One cannot rationally dissociate the Syrian regime from terrorism. Syria provides safe
haven for a myriad of terrorist organizations, directs their operations, and uses occupied
Lebanon as their main field of training and operation. Like an organized crime syndicate
which uses fear, intimidation, and violence as instruments of pressure to buy silence from
otherwise good and honorable people, the Syrian regime uses these terrorist organizations
as instruments of pressure in a foreign policy strategy that has earned for Syria a
"no questions asked" attitude from the free world with regard to its occupation
of Lebanon and its persecution of the Lebanese people.

Terrorist organizations do not stand on their own in terms of identity; instead, they are
proxies to regimes that provide them with financial means and an operational framework for
their terrorist activities. The suggestion heard in some circles that these regimes can be
charged with the task of dismantling terrorist organizations is the height of naiveté and
folly.

Furthermore, let's not forget that the clandestine nature of these regimes and
organizations would allow them to quickly and easily restructure and reemerge under
completely new aliases, ready to resume operations in full capacity.

Any perceived cooperation in the war on terrorism does not represent a strategic choice on
the part of the Syrian regime to combat terrorism; it is only a tactical and temporary
ploy to dodge responsibility for the central role that Syria has had in sponsoring
terrorism during the last three decades. Let us not forget that Syria's proxies in Lebanon
were responsible for attacks against the American embassy and the Marine compound costing
hundreds of Lebanese and American lives.

Second, Syria's occupation has turned Lebanon -- a nation that once enjoyed democracy and
freedom -- into a puppet-regime subservient to a dictatorship.

Dictatorial regimes, which install in their people an overwhelming feeling of helplessness
to affect any kind of change through democratic or peaceful means, are the cause of
fundamentalism. The only effective long-term solution to the spread of fundamentalism is
the spread of freedom; the only truly effective and permanent way to reverse the spread of
fundamentalism is not to choose dictatorship over fundamentalism-it is, rather, to provide
a third alternative -- democracy.

The democratic process in Lebanon has been hijacked. Election laws have been regularly
tailored to guarantee the election of Syria's puppets in Lebanon. Nonetheless, the
Lebanese people remain apt and resolute to resume their democratic way of life once
conditions become conducive and the Syrian regime withdraws its forces and intelligence
apparatus from Lebanon.

Third, Syria's occupation of Lebanon has led to instability and hindered the peace
process. Most puzzling and frustrating for the Lebanese people is that there are
supporters of the Syrian Regime in positions of authority, both in Lebanon and in the
U.S., who assert that Syria provides an element of stability in Lebanon. These supporters
turn a blind eye to the fact that Lebanon has become unstable only as a result of Syrian
hegemony over it. Today, the Lebanese-Israeli Border is a lit fuse that can erupt into a
regional war at anytime. And why this present state of affairs?
The blame lies squarely at the feet of Syria, which forbids Lebanon to implement UN
Resolution 426 and deploy its army along the border with Israel. I ask a simple question:
Where is the much-heralded stability that Syria is providing? And how many times has the
US intervened to diffuse tension and prevent escalation of this Syrian-created mess?

Those same apologists for the Syrian Regime also argue that political detente and dialogue
among the Lebanese factions would not be possible without Syria's alleged role as an
"intermediary" between them. Again, on this point separation must be made
between reality and Syrian-propagated myth.

Hafez Assad made it clear on July 20, 1976
that he is sending his forces to Lebanon to protect his Palestinian proxies and other
radical groups. Since the Syrian regime directly intervened in Lebanon, it has
consistently incited the Lebanese against each other at every level. Many Lebanese
personalities, who recognized and rejected Syria's sinister plans to promote
"internal conflict," were assassinated.

These patriotic Lebanese sacrificed
themselves on the altar of peace by choosing to take an active role in bridging
differences and resolving stalemates, in direct contradiction to Syria's wicked plans.
Among these Lebanese victims are those, from different factions, who dared to open genuine
channels of dialogue with me during my tenure as the Prime Minister of the Interim
Lebanese Government. And I personally was also the target of three Syrian-sponsored
assassination attempts that inflicted many casualties, and some fatalities, in the ranks
of my personal security entourage.

Fourth, under Syrian occupation the human rights of the Lebanese people have been
systematically violated. An exhaustive description of the crimes committed by the Syrian
Regime and its goons in Lebanon would take thousands of pages and dozens of hearings.
Two
Lebanese presidents-both of whom can be accurately described as unwilling to take their
orders from the Syrian intimidators-were assassinated immediately upon their elections.

Ambassadors, elite journalists, and political and religious figures from all denominations
who dared to oppose Syria were kidnapped, tortured, imprisoned, and/or assassinated. And
this is in addition to the tens of thousands of Lebanese who perished in countless
massacres, in months upon months of random Syrian artillery shelling of civilian areas,
and in countless booby-trapped and bombed cars.

Furthermore, the freedom of speech has
been restricted and any media critical of the status quo have been silenced. Last but not
least, the judicial system has been politicized and used as an instrument of intimidation,
harassment, and oppression.

Fifth, widespread corruption of enormous magnitude has devastated the Lebanese economy.
Syria's puppet regime and proxies in Lebanon have excessively abused their power. They
unnecessarily built a national debt currently exceeding two hundred percent of GDP while
simultaneously amassing gigantic personal fortunes at the expense and welfare of the
average Lebanese citizens.

The aforementioned are only few illustrations of the negative impact of Syrian occupation
of Lebanon. Prior to Syria's hegemony, Lebanon was a living example of political and
religious pluralism, and a symbol of moderation and tolerance. Lebanon, free from Syrian
occupation and terror, will emerge once again with a political system that is democratic,
an economic policy that is truly capitalistic and transparent, a modern and independent
judiciary that enforces and respects the rule of law, and an educational system that
nurtures a culture of peace in a region and environment in dire need of true peace.

The Restoration of Lebanon's SovereigntyThe restoration of Lebanese sovereignty is an absolute necessity if
terrorism is to be defeated. In order to achieve this objective, the Lebanese people and
the international community, under the sponsorship of the United States, will have to
collaborate closely and commit resources towards this goal. Today the majority of the
Lebanese, across all groups and factions, are living in anticipation of the restoration of
their sovereignty and free will and are longing for the day when they can again exercise
their freedoms without fear of arrest, persecution, or death.
We hope that the Syrian regime will take the opportunity to act positively and withdraw
its forces from Lebanon as we seek to build with the Syrian people genuine and strong
friendly relations based on mutual respect and common interests among the two people.Following a Syrian withdrawal, it is quite conceivable that the Syrian regime will leave
behind many of its instruments of terror and destruction as well as its
paramilitary/intelligence apparatus. Therefore, it is imperative that Syrian withdrawal be
accompanied by a complete disarmament of all armed elements. Only the legitimate armed
forces of Lebanon can be entrusted with providing security to the Lebanese people. They
are certainly capable of doing so when provided with a strong political leadership duly
elected by the Lebanese themselves, rather than appointed by an occupying power as is the
case today. Equally important, Lebanon will need certified tribunals to investigate and
bring to justice all criminals who committed war atrocities and crimes against humanity.Lebanon will certainly need significant economic aid. The Lebanese people have incurred
catastrophic losses and the Lebanese economy is devastated due largely to the corrupt
Syrian puppet regimes installed in power since the early 1990s.
And to this day, more than
any other country, Lebanon has been carrying an enormous burden as a consequence of the
prolonged Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Lebanese cause is a cause in and of itself. It
is not and should not be linked to the resolution of any regional or global conflict or
crisis. Lebanon, alone, is a legitimate and pressing issue by every standard of
international law.

This small country, Lebanon, is not a producer of oil or raw material.Lebanon is however rich beyond description. Lebanon is rich in its
culture, in its people, in its beauty, in its history, and in its heart. But most
importantly, Lebanon is rich in its tradition of democracy and freedom.

Only in very recent history has it become evident to the Western powers that Lebanon must
be saved as a matter of global security, and hence my presence here today before this
honorable committee. But the salvation of Lebanon is more than a matter of security-It is
a moral imperative. Lebanon must be saved, because it is right to save Lebanon; a nation
which cherishes American principles and human values that we all believe in. To save
Lebanon is to lend credence to what President Bush declared in his speech on September 11,
2002 and I quote:"We will use our position of unparalleled strength and influence to build an
atmosphere of international order and openness in which progress and liberty can flourish
in many nations. A peaceful world of growing freedom serves American long-term interests,
reflects enduring American ideals and unites America's allies."

Madame Chairwoman, the true nature of the Lebanese people is love of freedom and affection
for America; and the true nature of America is support for those aspiring to freedom. A
Lebanon dominated by a Syrian terrorist-sponsoring dictatorship is inconsistent with the
nature of their Lebanese people and does not serve their interests. And looking the other
way while a democracy is being turned into a repressive satellite state is inconsistent
with the American nature and interests.

Madame Chairwoman, we have been fighting valiantly for our beloved Lebanon for over 30
years.

We have lost almost everything. We lost our brothers and sisters, our friends, our fellow
soldiers, our freedoms, our security, our homes, and our money.

But we are determined to continue fighting for our cause because we never lost hope-and
never will-that our natural allies in the free world would ultimately see our fight for
what it truly was-a fight for freedom against terrorism and oppression. I come before you
today to urge you to be true to America's nature, to aid those aspiring to freedom, to
strike a blow to terrorism, and vote to pass the Syria Accountability and Lebanese
Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003.